The Latest on Monday’s events from NBA media days (all times local):
12:10 p.m.
Cavaliers point guard Isaiah Thomas has made progress with his hip injury, and officials said Monday the organization expects him to play by January.
Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra talks to reporters during a news conference, Monday, Sept. 25, 2017, in Miami. (AP Photo/Alan Diaz)
Thomas has begun running and doing on-court activities as he rehabilitates the injury, which prematurely ended his 2017 postseason with the Boston Celtics. The Cavs acquired Thomas this summer from Boston in a blockbuster trade for All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving.
Thomas doesn’t need surgery and the Cavs are confident he will be back on the floor in games by the end of the calendar year. While the Eastern Conference champions have been encouraged by Thomas’ recovery, they will not rush him back.
Thomas averaged 28.9 points last season for the Celtics, who sent him along with forward Jae Crowder, center Ante Zizic and a 2018 first-round draft to Cleveland for Irving.
Cleveland was concerned with Thomas’ injury and the Celtics added a second-round pick to complete the deal.
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11:05 a.m.
The Miami Heat aren’t sure if they are going to Mexico City for a game this season.
The Heat are scheduled to play the Brooklyn Nets on Dec. 9 in Mexico City, a city where at least 186 people died in a massive earthquake last week. Rescuers were still digging in dangerous piles of rubble Monday, desperately seeking any more survivors.
Heat coach Erik Spoelstra says the team sent personnel to Mexico City to see the arena before the quake, and will send people back to Mexico City in the coming weeks.
“Our hearts go out to the folks in Mexico City,” Spoelstra said. “It’s horrific to see that.”
Across Mexico, at least 324 people died in the quake. The NBA has said that, for now at least, the game remains as scheduled.
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10:30 a.m.
Politics is already the talk of NBA media day.
After a weekend where President Donald Trump rescinded the Golden State Warriors’ invitation to the White House and Cleveland star LeBron James responded by calling the president a “bum,” it was clear that Monday’s season-opening media sessions for 28 teams were quite possibly going to be as much about politics as basketball.
Detroit Pistons owner Tom Gores released a statement early Monday that did not specifically mention Trump, but says “America’s most treasured values include equality and diversity, and the right to effect change through peaceful expression and thoughtful debate.” Gores also says he will support the Pistons players and their right to thoughtfully raise awareness to various causes.
On Sunday night, Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadive said Trump’s “recent comments are deeply disappointing, because our focus should be on fostering a culture of sensitivity and inclusion.”
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7 a.m.
The most retweeted post ever sent by LeBron James before this weekend was one in 2013 in response to the incessant who’s-better debate about him and Michael Jordan.
“I’m not MJ, I’m LJ,” he wrote. It was retweeted nearly 112,000 times.
And then LJ took on POTUS, calling President Donald Trump a “bum.” James’ Twitter account exploded from there, the 640,000 and counting retweets making it one of the top 15 shared posts ever.
If James’ tweet is any indicator, politics will be center stage across the NBA on Monday when 28 teams gather for their media days – the annual precursor to the start of training camps. Carmelo Anthony will formally become part of the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday, Kyrie Irving’s first season in Boston will truly begin and Dwyane Wade is about to become a free agent after reaching a buyout with Chicago.
But those story lines, and probably all others, will almost certainly take a back seat to athletes reacting to politics.
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More AP basketball: https://apnews.com/tag/NBAbasketball
Rescue workers cut free a section of concrete floor to lift it up by a crane in hopes of reaching dozens of people believed to be trapped inside a collapsed office building since a 7.1 magnitude earthquake, in the Roma Norte neighborhood of Mexico City, just after midnight Monday, Sept. 25, 2017. Search teams are still digging in dangerous piles of rubble hoping against the odds to find survivors at collapsed buildings. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
Golden State Warriors Stephen Curry takes questions from the media after NBA basketball practice in Oakland, Calif., Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017. President Donald Trump doubled down on denouncing protests by NFL players and rescinded NBA star Stephen Curry’s White House invitation on Saturday, a series of tweets that quickly inflamed football and basketball stars and even prompted LeBron James to call the president a “bum.” (AP Photo/Janie McCauley)
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters upon his return to the White House in Washington, Sunday, Sept. 24, 2017. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
FILE – In this March 1, 2017, file photo New York Knicks’ Carmelo Anthony waves to fans cheering his name during the final moments of an NBA basketball game against the Orlando Magic in Orlando, Fla. The Knicks agreed to trade Anthony to the Thunder on Saturday, Sept. 23, 2017, saving themselves a potentially awkward reunion next week with the player they’d been trying to deal since last season. New York will get Enes Kanter, Doug McDermott and a draft pick, a person with knowledge of the deal said. The person spoke with The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the trade had not been announced. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)
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